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Bravia Chaimite

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Bravia Chaimite
BRAVIA Chaimite APC 4X4 in Bosnia
TypeLight Armoured Vehicle
Place of originPortugal
Service history
In service1967–present
Used bySee Operators
WarsPortuguese Colonial War Lebanese Civil War
Production history
ManufacturerBravia
No. builtover 600
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass6.800 to 8500 kg
Length5.6 m
Width2.26 m
Height2.39 m
Crew1+10

Armorup to 7.62 mm
Main
armament
depend of variant
Secondary
armament
depend of variant
Enginediesel engine
155 hp (115 kW) at 3300 rpm
Payload capacity804 kg
Transmissionautomatic gearbox
Operational
range
804 km
Maximum speed 99 km/h (62 mph)
4.8 km/h on water
Steering
system
rack & pinnion non assisted

The Bravia Chaimite is an armored vehicle with all wheel drive axles built by the Portuguese company Bravia and used by the Portuguese Army in the Portuguese colonial wars in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea, from 1967 to 1974 when it ended.

There were two versions of the Chaimite, the VBTP V-200 and the VBPM V-600. The VBTP, (Viatura Blindada de Transporte de Pessoal, Armoured Personnel Transport Vehicle), had an 11-man capacity and was armed with one .50 Browning heavy machine-gun, while the VBPM, (Viatura Blindada Porta-morteiro, Armoured Mortar Carrier Vehicle), had only a 4-man capacity and was armed with one Browning .30 heavy machine-gun and one 81 mm mortar. These vehicles had diesel engines with 155 hp (115 kW) at 3300 rpm with automatic gear capable of taking on speeds to a maximum of 99 km/h (62 mph). The armour of this APC was capable of defeating rounds up to 7.62 mm NATO.

The Chaimite is now[when?] being gradually phased out of Portuguese Army service and replaced by the Austrian Pandur II 8x8 APC.

Variants

Operators

Map of Bravia Chaimite operators in blue

Current operators

Former operators

The Chaimite made some major film appearances, notably in the 1993 movie The House of Spirits, portraying Chilean Army APCs in action during the September 1973 military coup d'etat and in the 2002 movie The Dancer Upstairs, in the colours of an undisclosed Latin American Army. It was also featured in the 2000 film April Captains, set in during the Portuguese Carnation Revolution of April 1974.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ http://milinme.wordpress.com/category/v-200-chaimite – An ex-ISF V-200 Chaimite employed by the Guardians of the Cedar pictured at Houche-el-Oumara during the Battle for Zahle, April–June 1981.
  2. ^ http://www.ecsbdefesa.com.br/fts/Chaimite

References